EU Reporter head named Grand Winner in world-wide news awards

The 2nd Silk Road Global News Awards were announced at the 2025 Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road held in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province on 16 September 2025. Colin Stevens, publisher and editor of EU Reporter, was named as the overall Grand Award winner and winner of the Best Reporting Award for his China-EU story, China's Belt & Road: Building bridges not walls.

All awards are initially evaluated by the academic committee, finalised by the judging committee, and then approved by the members of the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN) council.

The 2nd Silk Road Global News Awards, hosted by the BRNN and organised by the BRNN council chair, People's Daily, features four categories—Best Reporting, Best Photography, Best Video, and Best Innovation.

Since its call for submissions from April 2024, the 2nd Silk Road Global News Awards received nearly 5,000 entries from 110 countries and regions. The awards recognised a total of 58 works from 37 countries, with four grand prizes, 16 nominations and 38 finalist awards.

The Belt and Road News Network is a key platform for media cooperation within the BRI framework. The Silk Road Global News Awards is the Belt and Road News Network's flagship brand event and the only international journalism award within the Belt and Road Initiative’s multilateral cooperation framework.

The 2nd Silk Road Global News Awards is included in the list of multilateral cooperation deliverables of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Best Reporting Award – Colin Stevens of EU Reporter

The article was an in-depth commentary published online on EU Reporter on 18 May 2024.

It opens by dispelling the misinterpretation of associating China-EU relations with a wall, pointing out that "the Belt and Road Initiative is the perfect symbol of bridges."

By detailing the initiative's role in "building bridges" between China and Europe and citing specific examples such as cooperation at the Port of Rotterdam and the China-Europe Railway Express, the article documents the concrete achievements of international cooperation and development under the initiative.

It also highlights how the BRI has strongly promoted cooperation in green energy, e-commerce, tourism and other fields. It demonstrates its practical value in enhancing mutual trust and fostering win-win cooperation, while responding to the current global call for greater connectivity.

Reviewers' comments:

The article systematically reviews the global influence of the Belt and Road Initiative from a macro perspective, focusing on China-EU cooperation in infrastructure, green energy, the digital economy and cultural exchange, and presenting the initiative's strong vitality from multiple dimensions.

The article is informative, well-structured and supported by diverse interview sources, giving it high authority and broad communicative reach.

The article skilfully employs the metaphor of "building bridges rather than walls" to effectively link the BRI with the current international landscape, reinforcing China's image as a nation advancing opening-up and promoting connectivity.

The article uses a conversational approach that resonates with local audiences, employing facts to dispel misunderstandings and build consensus for cooperation.

Colin Stevens biography

Colin Stevens founded EU Reporter in 2008. He has more than 30 years of experience as a TV producer and journalist working in both television and radio for BBC, ITV, SKY, CNN, Channel 4, S4C and JN1.TV.    He has won numerous awards including New York Film and Television Festival, Golden Video Award, BAFTA Best News & Actuality Reporting, and Brighton Wildlife Film Festival Best Documentary.   He is a former news editor and editor of related programs at ITV Wales and was deputy CEO of Quadrant Media & Communications. He is a past president of the Press Club Brussels (2020-2022) and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters at Zerah Business School (Malta and Luxembourg) for leadership in European journalism. Overall Grand Award winner and winner of the Best Reporting Award, The 2nd Silk Road Global News Awards 2025.

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